Walter Tull | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 28 April 1888 Folkestone, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 25 March 1918 (aged 29)[1] near Favreuil, Pas-de-Calais, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Military career | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Allegiance | United Kingdom | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | British Army | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years of service | 1914–1918 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Second lieutenant | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Unit | Middlesex Regiment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Battles / wars | World War I | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Walter Daniel John Tull (28 April 1888 – 25 March 1918) was an English professional footballer and British Army officer of Afro-Caribbean descent. He played as an inside forward and half back for Clapton, Tottenham Hotspur and Northampton Town and was the third person of mixed heritage to play in the top division of the Football League after Arthur Wharton and Willie Clarke. He was also the first player of African descent to sign for Rangers in 1917, while stationed in Scotland.
During the First World War, Tull served in the Middlesex Regiment, including in the two Footballers' Battalions. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant on 30 May 1917 and killed in action on 25 March 1918.